Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787–1859), known as the Kotzker
Rebbe, was one of the great and influential Chassidic masters of the 18th
century. As a child he was asked, “Where is God?” Young Menachem Mendel
replied, “God is everywhere!” In his later years he was asked by his Chassidm
the same question but gave a very different answer. “Where is God, you ask,
wherever you let Him in.”

What accounts for the divergent responses? A child sees
everything with a fresh sense of wonder and marvel. Innocent and unburdened by
the weight of life‘s challenges, he possesses a clarity of vision that
beholds the Divine underpinning of every aspect of human experience. As we age
and encounter difficulty and disappointment, there are two responses we can
offer to understanding why things don’t develop as smoothly as we would like.
Often, the immediate response is to increasingly deny God’s involvement in
affairs of this world, attributing our troubles to random happenstance.
Alternatively, we can assimilate the eternal lessons of our holy Torah which
teaches that all of the circumstances in our lives are orchestrated by Hashem
for our ultimate good, even if we can’t recognize it in the moment. Our mandate
is to remain loyal to Hashem’s Torah, His instructions for life, confident that
its path will lead to salvation and fulfillment.

The story of Purim highlights the truth and veracity of this
second approach. Initially, the Jews of ancient Persia blamed righteous
Mordechai for the terrible decrees of destruction that befell them. After all,
it was his stubborn resistance to bow before the evil Haman that imperiled
their very existence. They saw simple cause and effect in the way things developed.

Mordechai, however, a man steeped in the knowledge of Torah and
committed to its steadfast observance, understood that when a decree of
national magnitude was leveled against the Jewish people, it was a clear sign
from Above that the entire nation was being called to Teshuva, repentance, and
that the only way they could be saved was by strengthening their dedication to
Torah observance.

Viewed in its totality, the Purim narrative now takes on much
deeper meaning than a random series of events. The twists and turns and
surprising resolution become a clear sign of the hidden hand of God guiding
events every step of the way, all of which was intended to awaken the Jews to
this very reality.

Consider, Mordechai sent Esther to beseech King Achashveirosh,
literally a suicide mission since visiting the King uninvited was sure grounds
for the death penalty. Nevertheless, Esther demonstrated her determination to
sacrifice for Hashem, His Torah and His people, casting concerns for her own
welfare aside. Even so, when Achashveirosh spared her, she acted in a manner
that would confound the Jewish people’s hope by inviting their arch enemy,
Haman, to a special party with the King. This spurred the Jewish people to
greater levels of repentance as they realized their last and only hope was
deliverance from Hashem.
Finally, even as Mordechai was rewarded by Achashveirosh for having saved his
life in an earlier incident, the people’s sense of despair intensified as they
realized the King was no longer indebted to Mordchai and Haman would now be
free to do with them as he pleased.

In the end, the trajectory of history was reversed in an
instant. Haman was hung on the very tree he had designed to kill Mordechai.
Against all odds, the Jewish people prevailed against their enemies and
Mordechai was appointed to the position of Prime Minister of Persia, second
only to King Acashveirush.

The Jews then realized, much with the childlike clarity of the
young Kotzker, that God is indeed everywhere. And they re-accepted the Torah in
their days with a complete and unconditional love that surpassed that of their
ancestors who had originally received the Torah at Sinai. For while the Sinai
experience was accompanied by open revelation of God’s presence, the Purim
story taught us that Hashem is here even when we can’t see Him. And when we
live in accordance with His will as manifest in our precious Torah, we will
merit discerning His outstretched hand in all of our affairs.

So, let Hashem into your lives and see His presence throughout
the world.

I convey to you my sincerest wishes of abundant blessing, joy
and spiritual fulfillment for you and your families on this Purim festival and
always.